Artemis Fowl: The Skylar Era
by agentxy14
Summary: After Artemis sells his new splicing gun to Damian Skylar, Skylar plots his takeover of Haven. Can Artemis, Holly, Mulch, Doodah, and Foaly save the day? K to keep the mood. Review!
1. No Buisness Like No Buisness

**Chapter 1- No Business Like No Business**

Artemis Fowl could tell that this young man coming before him was a bit full of himself. He was also headstrong, had a semi-egomania, and loved power. This man didn't even need to say a single word. Artemis could perceive it simply on his actions. He was smart like that.

This was alright, however, because this man was doing business with him. His record was clean as a newly-scrubbed window. After his run-in with the madman from Chicago, Jon Spiro, Artemis triple-checked perpetual buyers. Even with his new scanner, he couldn't find a single thing.

Either this man was really nice, Artemis thought, or really careful.

As he drew nearer, Artemis could see a few other details. His suit was a polyester, custom made, tuxedo, to add a bit of fanciness. The silver Bentley outside was, in fact, not driven by him, as the young man was scarcely fifteen- practically Artemis' age. He was English, from the clothing to the posture.

"Glad we could finally meet, Master Fowl," the man said. "I'm Damian Skylar, of Skylar Software. When I heard of your new innovation, I couldn't resist."

"Skylar?" Artemis questioned. "Haven't you been sixth in the running for the past two years?"

"Unfortunately, yes," Damian replied, "but this was much better than twentieth, as it was originally. And after Dell and Verizon are accounted for, most of the other companies are hacks who will soon declare bankruptcy. I play smart, Master Fowl. Now, enough of that. I trust you and your family are well?"

"Yes they are. " In fact, most of the family was out. Angeline Fowl and Artemis Fowl, Senior, were experiencing a new opera in Dublin's new opening house. Beckett and Myles Fowl were being babysat by their nanny at a beach house. Only Butler was still there, and he was being stealthy, in case of dispute. The perfect time. "Your's are well too, I presume?"

Here Damian averted Artemis' glance. "Unfortunately, no." he spoke. "They've been dead for two years now."

"Ah. Sorry. I didn't mean to-"

"It's quite fine. You didn't know. But, in any case, may we begin?"

"Of course." Artemis pulled out a briefcase and set it onto the table. Then he undid the clasps and opened the box. He pulled out a gun; it looked like a Sig Sauer, similar to Butler's, but much more futuristic, with various knobs and screws, as well as a small computer screen on the side.

Damian looked uninterested. "Please, Fowl. I did not come across the sea to witness a gun. In any case, I wish not to commit violence to anyone. Or allow others to do so, for that matter."

"You would want this one, I'm sure," Artemis smiled his trademark vampire smile. "This is no ordinary gun. Have you ever heard of gene splicing?"

"I know of it."

"Well, I've done some tweaking on various sources. This is a splicing gun. It can add DNA to any plant in the world. But this isn't all. The added tweaks made this so you can add any animal DNA to anything. Even humans."

"Splicing! You lie," Damian glared. "That is impossible on such a scale."

"Is it?" Artemis zapped a common household azalea with a fly meandering on it. In mere moments, the azalea snapped up the fly. A small sizzling noise, presumably acid, was heard. Artemis winked at Damian. "An azalea crossbred with a Venus Fly Trap. Not impossible after all."

Damian was aghast. "Unbelievable. I make software other people have made that works for only _ten years_. You, without any workshop or industry, build a genetic gun the likes of which no one has ever seen. How?"

"I'm afraid that is trade secret." Artemis kept his secret within. He wasn't about to say he also got the idea from various fairy weapons and technology, but had built the device with his own materials. That he had bought from Skylar Software. He learns his lessons. Artemis didn't want to put the fairy race in jeopardy, especially not his close friends Holly Short and Mulch Diggums. Even if it meant an extra buck.

"I've got to have that. Let me examine it." Damian was hooked. This was an easy sale.

Damian fiddled around with the gun, looked at the settings on the computer. "There's a lot of DNA in this."

"Over 17,000 different kinds, Skylar," Artemis added. "Nothing like diversity."

"But, one question. What is the setting that reads 'Top Secret'?"

Drat, Artemis thought, the fairy DNA. As an experiment, he put the DNA in the gun, but never got the chance to try it.

"Just what it says. Top secret. You will need an eternity code to reach those features. Even with your tech, I doubt you can break it."

"Fowl, I am pretty excited for this device. Even with features that are locked, I am sold. How much?"

"Skylar, that device is extra rare. One-of-a-kind, at least until I make another one. I'll keep mine secret, and you can copy that as much as you'd like, provided there is no criminal transaction. In return…" Artemis smiled again.

"What?!" Damian was ecstatic, fanatical now.

"Two million Euro. Plus ten percent of sales."

"Done!" He throws a briefcase onto the table. "I would have done that in any case. But this transaction…" Damian was excited. He didn't even bother to take the suitcase back. He took the gun, stuffed it into his pocket, and left Fowl Manor so fast there was smoke.

"Quite a sale, quite a sale," Artemis murmured. "But was it wise? We'll see…"

* * *

Once inside his Bentley, Damian pulled out the gun again and adjusted the settings. Within moments, there was a small ding- a good one, the kind that activates stuff.

"Access approved," a small computer voice said.

Damian, the wiz at computer programming he was, decoded an eternity code in ten seconds.

After looking through the eight selections, he replaced the gun, and chuckled menacingly. This, he thought, was what he was looking for. This was the beginning of his total domination, what he called the Skylar Era.

…**To be continued.**


	2. Returns and Departures

**Chapter 2- Returns, Departures, and Creations**

Artemis decided to shake off that eerie feeling that selling to Skylar was a mistake by listening to some of his favorite composers on his iPod (Even genii need iPods, especially Artemis Fowl. His apps included various scientific pieces and actual thermal vision.) He lounged in his classic recliner, quite pleased, and thought about how his parents were enjoying themselves.

_I'm sure Skylar will be pleased with that technology_, he thought. _After all, it's made with the same nuclear technology as his own-_

Hang on. Nuclear technology. What the fairies use.

"Oh, God," Artemis gasped. "I'm so stupid." He had to alert the People, but how? Holly's communicator was damaged in the time portal. He had no other direct communication through phones, unless he expected to talk on their Operator line or their pizza delivery service. The only device left to use was…

"Spiro's bane," he thought, "The C-Cube."

He dashed to his room to grab the scientific wonder, what he kept to remind himself. He typed in his 16-digit access code, the replacement to the Eternity Code. When the video screen popped up, Artemis activated the contact list.

"Lower Elements. Operation Booth at LEP headquarters."

After a few moments, there was finally an answer from Artemis' favorite centaur, Foaly.

"Gods above, Artemis," Foaly quizzically commented, "how did you reach my extension?"

"Hello, Foaly," Artemis greeted. "To answer your question, it was the C-Cube that got me to you."

"The device that almost destroyed Haven?"

"The very same. However, I didn't call to chat. I have bad news." Artemis wiped sweat off of his forehead and continued. "I'd like to report something on Damian Skylar."

Artemis could hear the clicking of a keyboard--as well as see it--as Foaly did a search on this name. "Skylar, Skylar," he mused. "Okay. This man is an overnight entrepreneur in computer software. His technology is strikingly advanced. No real police encounters, aside from an incident where he was with the wrong group of people at the wrong time. This man is gold." Foaly scratched himself and added, "You know, I received some test tech to experiment with. The technology is actually familiar."

"I'm off to England, Foaly," Artemis hurriedly said. "Send in Holly as soon as possible to Westminster."

"Artemis," Foaly warned, "Commander Kelp doesn't want any officers out unless it is actually an emergency. We can't just send people out for grudge matches or practical jokes." "Trouble" Kelp was the newest commander of the LEP, replacing the recently discharged gnome Ark Sool and the not-as-recent Julius Root, now deceased. "Just let me know what the problem is and I can decide if it's important."

Artemis took a deep breath before responding.

"Damian Skylar is exporting fairy tech," he said.

* * *

"The whole of England is shocked to see that Damian Skylar, the technology mogul, has declared bankruptcy. Skylar Software has laid off every last employee, and Skylar is now missing. Further details await as…"

Here Skylar turned off his Magnavox and smiled. He was hiding inside the one place nobody would look: his 'abandoned' building. As he reached into his pocket to pull out the gun, he chuckled.

"Finally," he said. "After all these years I will have what is rightfully mine. Me. Damian Skylar."

With that, he opened fire on his stock of computers and modems.

Instantly, wires and gears dislodged themselves from the plastic casings. The computers were unplugged and yet still glowing a diabolical shade of blue. Cell phones vibrated before growing wires as if they were legs and crawling towards the ever-growing mound of mechanical monstrosity.

These machines were alive.

The mound adjusted itself into a cone-shape and began to spin. Once the point reached the floor, the metal seared through the concrete with battery acid. Deeper it went, acting as a drill to the center of the Earth. But, possibly, not that deep.

"Yes!" Damian cheered, "Yes!" Then he fiddled with the controls of the gene gun. "Just one last piece to drop into the puzzle, now."

He turned the gun on himself and fired.

…**To Be Continued **


	3. Infiltration of Skylar Software

**Chapter 3- Infiltration of Skylar Software**

Skylar Software was, in fact, secluded from most of Westminster. It was situated in a large clearing in the woods, only to be visited by delivery trucks--and even that was rare. The front gates were reinforced titanium and were monitored 24/7 by about six security cameras and a squad of watchmen. It was almost as if Damian Skylar didn't want to be found.

Naturally, Artemis knew this and had already bypassed the gate and security features and was watching the factory from a small bush in the clearing. Well, technically this in untrue. Butler decimated the titanium fence and Artemis disabled the security systems. As for the guards, there weren't any. Skylar evidently laid off each and every one of his employees to add even more security.

"You sure you want to do this?" Butler asked next to him.

"Quite," Artemis responded.

"You know the risks."

"Yes."

"You remember Spiro."

"Correct."

"But you still wish to go through with this."

Artemis smiled. "If I didn't wish it," he mentioned, "I wouldn't be here. I would be conducting this mission through the computer, watching everyone's move. Even so, I believe-"

What exactly Artemis believed was interrupted by a small trilling noise from his small cell phone. Private extension. Foaly put someone through, or he put himself in. Artemis pulled out the phone, opened it, listened to it for a few seconds, then closed it. He then turned to Butler. "Two good blessings. We have outside help. Foaly agreed to print a blueprint to Skylar's now-defunct company."

"And the second blessing?"

Artemis turned to the seemingly open air and said, "You can come out now, Holly."

A slight shimmer in the air, followed by the sudden appearance of Artemis' old friends, Holly Short and No. 1, made a small smile appear in Butler's face.

"Evening, gentlemen," Holly saluted to the pair, before hovering to ground level and depositing No. 1 on the grass.

"Holly, good to see you again," Artemis greeted. "The LEP reinstated you in your old position?"

"Yes, thank the gods. I couldn't stand dealing with LEPmarine. Too much salt water. Commander Kelp needs all the foot soldiers he can get to track down Opal"

"Holly, thank you for the flight," No. 1 added (he seemed slightly ill), "but the next time I go somewhere, I'd rather walk."

"Holly smiled. "He didn't find my flying skills enjoyable."

"We were a foot away from the rocks."

" Or my aerial maneuvers exciting." Her face became serious. "Artemis, I've been thinking about this incident."

"Ah, yes, the infiltration and the fairy technology. I've been meaning to-"

"Me and Foaly decided it wasn't technically your fault. You didn't know what he was doing. Even Foaly didn't know, and he always knows. Skylar just wasn't on his systems." She paused. "But you aren't necessarily an innocent pawn, either. You knew the risks."

"True."

"And you still did it."

Butler smiled. "You sound just like me."

Artemis was slightly sheepish. "Yes, well, shall we begin?"

"Alright."

"Good." He pulled out a planner and flipped through a few pages. "Team A will be me and Holly. Team B is Butler and No. 1. I arranged the groups this way because I'm not sure what Skylar was doing with that gene splicer and, personally, I'd feel safer if everyone had a fairy on their team.

"But the plan is this: Butler and No. 1 will go first to incapacitate any threats from the entrance to the security booth and power. Then they shall attack both of the grids. Holly and I will then search for any abnormalities throughout the compound. Once we detect it, we all regroup at that sector and take back the gene gun, sabotage any and all technology created by Skylar, and apprehend him if possible." Artemis put the planner away. "Any questions?"

No. 1, still woozy, asked, "This won't happen like with that bad man, Billy Kong, will it?"

"I can't guarantee that."

"Or like the mean lady, Opal Koboi?"

"I also can't guarantee that."

"You can't guarantee much."

Artemis smiled, even in spite of the impending danger. "Perhaps I can't. But, anyway, is everyone ready?"

"Ready," Holly repeated, pulling out her Neutrino.

"Ready," Butler also repeated, pulling out his fists (all that was necessary.).

"I guess," No. 1 mused. "But no Opal, right?"

"She shouldn't be there," Artemis soothed, then thought. The first time she tried to conquer Haven, she had _mesmer_ized a man by the name of Luc Carrere. Surely this wasn't a repeat?

No time to worry, in any case. "Let's go," Artemis said.

**To Be Continued…**


End file.
